Player-piano



E. D; MOORE.

PLAYER PIANO. APPLICATION FILED OCT- 16, 1911. 1,369,530, Patented Feb. 22,1921.

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PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 6| 19H.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

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PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-16,1917.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

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PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION man OCT. 16. 1917.

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' loud effects,

UNITED STATES PATENT I OFFICE.

ERNST D. MOORE, OI CHESTER, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE PRATT READ PLAYER ACTION COMPANY, OF DEEP RIVER, CONNEGTICUT, A CORPCRA- TION OF CONNECTICUT.

rmrnrarrano. I e

Patented Feb, 22, 1921.

Application filed October 16, 1917. Serial No. 196,853.

To allwhome'tmay concem: I

Be it known that I, ERNST D. Moonn, a citizen of the United States, residin in Ghester, county of, Middlesex, State of o1 necticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Player Pianos of which the following is a full, clear, an exact description.

This invention relates to player pianos and it has special reference to expression devices for instruments of this nature.

It has been customary heretofore to regulate the degree of force with which the notes are struck by the striker pneumatics and their connections, to obtain either soft or b controlling the communication between the exhausting anparatusand the series of striker pneumatics. .Where a loud effect is desired, the suction of the exhausting apparatus or pump bellows is transmitted very directly to the wind chest of the action proper, while, on the other hand, if a piamssimo effect is called for, the communication between the wind chest and the exhausting apparatus is cut oil to such an extent that the suction in the wind chest is lessened sufiiciently to strike the notes with the requisite softness. It has been found, however, that in many cases it is difficult to reduce the suction in the wind chest to just that degree at which the hammers will strike the strings softly but with a full,

effective stroke; frequently the suction is decreased to such an extent that the hammers fail to make the entire stroke necessary for them to touch the" strings, and in some cases they fail to move at all. 7

One of the primary objects of my invention is to furnish a player piano in which the above mentioned drawbacks are avoided. More particularly it is aimed to provide a piano in which the hammers are caused to move upto the strings automatically when the suction in the wind chest is reduced'by the choker or the like for the purpose of reducing the impact of the striker pneumatics on the wippens or equivalent parts with which they cooperate. Thus by shortening the hammer stroke at the same time that the suction in the wind chest is decreased, another step is taken in the production of the desired pianissimo effect, and the reduced wind chest suction, in spite ofits decreased power, will be sufiicient to move the hammers through the short stroke necessary under these conditions withoutthe liability of the hammers sticking or failmg to sound the notes propthe wind chest suction and shortening the hammer stroke, for the purpose of obtainmg an especially delicate but clear tone.

Another ob ect of'my invention is to provide a player piano having im roved means i for controlling a hammer rai and a wind chest choker simultaneously by pneumatic means under the control of a push button or the like.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features and combina tions of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Flgure 1 is a iagrammatic view of a player piano embodying my improvements.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic vertical transverse section of the player iano with numerous other parts omitte showin the parts in the normal position, for obtaining a loud tone.

Fig. 3 is'a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the position of the parts when the control- 1mg means is actuated to produce a soft tone.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section of one of the expression bellows.

In the drawings I have shown my improvements applied to a pla er piano havmg a movable hammer rail divided into bass and treble sections, A and A respectively, as shown in the diagram, Fig. 1. The action chest 13 which consists of the usual wind chest and striker pneumatics, is

similarly divided into a basssection B and a treble section B. The action B is operated by suction derived from pedal actuated bellows or pumps C, C, both connected with an equalizer or reservoir bellows or chest C. The equalizer C is connected with a bass choker or expression bellows D The bass hammer rail section A is' mer rail pneumatic E and the treble hammer rail section A is similarly controlled by hammer rail pneumatic E The hammer rail neumatic E and the expression bellows are connected with a common controlling means such, for example, as the.

' control button F located in the key slip of the piano. The pneumatic E anc expression bellows D are similarly connected to a control button F.

It will be understood, therefore, that in the particular arrangement shown in the diagram of Fig. l, the base section of the movable hammer rail and the bass section 5 of the wind chest are adapted to be controlled by one means, whereas the treble section of the hammer rail and the treble section of the wind chest are adapted to be quite independently controlled by another controlling device. In Figs. 2 and 3, I have merely indicated the apparatus for controlling t e bass part of the instrument because the apparatus for controlling the treble part is exactly the same. It may be stated, however, that instead of controlling only one part or section of the instrument, apparatus similar to that shown in Figs. 2 and 3 may be employed for controlling the entire hammer rail as a unit and the entire wind chest as a unit, without departure from the scope of my invention and if the instrument be divided into sections, the precise arrangement shown in Fig. 1 need not be followed.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 2.and

b5 3, one of the strings of the piano is indicated at 20 and one of the hammers at 21. The hammers may be mounted in the usual manner on a butt rail 22 and they may be actuated in any preferred manner from the action B. The movable hammer rail section A is in this instance hinged at 23 to a fixed main part 24. Applied to the front face of the rail A is a bracket 25 connected by an operating rod 26 with a cleat 27 on the movable leaf 28 of the hammer rail pneumatic E. This hammer rail pneumatic is normally expanded by a spring 29 and when it is in this position, the hammer rail A-rests in a rearwardly inclined position 60 against thefixed rail 24, so that the hamber 21 can take the full stroke. When the pneumatic E is collapsed, however, the rod 26' is pulled down as shown in Fig. 3, there by swinging the hammer rail section A forwardly to a certain extent. This carries the hammer 21 forwardly and holds it in an advanced position so that if it is thereafter actuated, its stroke will be decreased in length, with a. resulting decrease in the volume of sound. The pneumatic E is connected with the equalizer C and controlled from the push button F by means well known in the art. The pneumatic is connected with the push button by a tube 30,

having on the under side of the key bed an opening 31 normally closed by a spring flap valve 32. When the interior of tube 30 1S closed off by valve 32, the penumatic E will be in the expanded position shown in Fig. 2, but when the button F is pressed down as shown in Fig. 3 to open the port or opening 31, the interior of tube 30 is opened to the atmosphere, with the result that a valve device 33 associated with pneumatic E is shifted to cause the collapse of the pneumatic by reason of suction communicated to it from the equalizer C. This causes an advance movement of the hammer rail section A toward the strings. The valve device 33 may be of any approved construction.

The action section B is controlled by the button F or other control means simultaneously with the hammer rail pneumatic E, and for this purpose a branch tube 34 leads off from tube 30 to the expression bellows or choker D. In the form shown, the expression bellows comprises a block 35, a movable leaf 36, and a controllin valve section 37. In the block 35 is a duct 38 leading to the pump C by way of equalizer C and adapted to communicate with the space beneath the movable leaf 36 by way of passages 39, 40, the formerof which is controlled by a flap valve 41, while the latter passage is in this instance controlled by the sliding valve 42. At another point the interior space beneath the movable leaf of the bellows communicates with a passage 43 leading to a tube 44 that communicates with the action section B. By this arrangement, it will be understood that air sucked out of the wind chest of action section B by the exhausting apparatus passes through tube 44, passage 43 and (if valve 42 be closed) through the interior of the expression bellows proper and passage 39 controlled by flap valve 41 to duct 38 and thence to the pump bellows C by way of the equalizer C. The flap valve 41 serves in the nature of an automatic regulator as it is loosely fastened to lid 36 by a yoke 44 and is closed when the suction from the pump is very great, while, on the other hand, it is opened when the suction from the pump decreases to a predetermined extent. In this way, sudden changes of tension in the wind chest during normal playing are prevented, the tension being kept substantially uniform.

The passage 40 controlled by valve 42 affords a by-pass around the passage 39 controlled by the regulating valve 41. Valve 42 is controlled from the push button F by so-called primary valve mechanism in the section 37 of the expression bellows. Interposed between section 37 and the block 35 is a diaphragm or pouch 45, against which rests an operating head 46 on the stem of valve 42. The valve head 46 operates in a chamber 47 in communication with the the right of the diaphragm or pouch 45 is a chamber 49 in the rimary section 37 in constant communication with a chamber 50 havin a port 51 adapted to communicate with t e atmosphere, and also having a port 52 adapted to communicate with an intermediate chamber 53. In chamber 50 is a double valve 54 adapted to control ports 51, 52, and having a stem with an operating head 54' in chamber 53. The head 54 rests on a diaphragm 55. The tube 34 hereinbefore mentioned communicates with a cham her at the under portion of diaphragm 55 and the chamber 53 is in constant communication with the pump duct tube 56. A bleed 57 of the ommonly used in this class of instrument permits constant communication between chamber 53 and the chamber beneath the diaphragm 55.

. The operation of the apparatus is substantially as follows:

In playing of normal loudness of tone, the parts have the positions shown in Fig. 2. The hammer rail pneumatic E is in the ex panded condition so that the hammers have the normal len of stroke. of tube 30 bemg closed, the tube is exhausted by way of tube 34. The pump sucks the air out of chamber 53 by way of the tube 56 and it also sucks the air out of thechamber beneath the diaphragm 55 and out of tubes 34, 30 by we of the bleed 57. The pressure under diap ragm 55 and in chamber 53 being reduced, double valve 54: seats over the port 52 and thereby cuts ofi? chamber 50 from the pump while, at the same time, it establishes communication between the atmosphere and the chamber 49 by the opening of ort 51, as shown in Fig. 2. The pouch or iaphragm 45 is therefore inflated or ex anded so as to shift valve 42 to the left. his unseats the valve and by opening passage 40 establishes direct communication of the action with the pump through the by-pass independently of the regulating valve 41. As the suction of the pump is exerted directly on the action in air rushes in and destroys the vacuum in tube 30, thereby actuatin the hammer rail pneumatic E 1n a welladvance the'hammer rail as shown in Fig. 3. At the same time the vacuum in tube 34 is broken and the ouch or diaphragm 55 upwardly expand so as tocarry the double 38 b way of a, kind c The mouth 31 own manner to I valve 54 up to the position shown in Fig. 3.

In this position the air port 51 is closed and at the same time the port 52 is opened,

establishing a communication between the chamber 49 and the pump, through chamber 53 and tube 56. Consequently the space 49 is exhausted and diaphragm 45 is collapsed, permitting the valve 42 to seat under the action of a spring 42. As the valve 42 is seated, the by-pass is cut oil and communication of the wind chest with the pump is restricted to the passage 39 controlled by regulating valve 41 whlch under these circumstances, is so actuated as to present at strings as previously described. The hammers are actuated effectively by my invention but with the desired softness of touch. The coiirdi'nation of the hammer control with the action control is very effective. In the particular example shown, bothcontrols are effected by manually operated control means for controlling them both simultaneously, but obviously, a similar control might be effected automatically from the traveling note sheet, if such were desired.

Various modifications may be made in the details of the apparatus without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the claims.

The expression'bellows D herein shown is provided with the usual spring 36, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, for normally holdin it in the inflated position.

hat I claim is:

1. In a player piano, the combination of hammers and strings, a movable hammer rest rail, a pneumatic andconnections for shifting said rest rail toward the strings, an action chest for operating the hammers, a source of exhaust to which said action chest is connected, a regulator interposed between said action chest and said source of exhaust and having a bypass opening, a pouch pneumatic and a valve positively controlled thereby, said valve normally permitting a passage of air through said opening, a key 'slip,*'a, single valve therein to control said uch and hammer rest rail pneumatic and a push button to open and close said valve. 2. In a player piano, an action chest for operating the hammers, pressure reducing apparatus for operating said action, a choker interposed between said pressure reducing apparatus and said action having a by-pass with a valve controlling the same, a pouch pneumatic for positively shifting said valve when operated and normally holding the same in open position, a movable hammer rest rail, a pneumatic for shifting the same, means for connecting said pneumatic and said pouch pneumatic with the pressure reducing apparatus, and a single air valve having a member movable by hand in one direction for controlling the operation of said pneumatic and said pouch so that the hammer stroke is shortened simultaneously with the reduction of tension in the action chest, and means for automatically returning said member to its initial position for playing of normal loudness when the manual pressure on said member is released.

3. In an automatic musical instrument, a pneumatic action, a source of exhaust connected to the same, a regulating pneumatic interposed between said action and source of exhaust, a block upon the fixed leaf of said pneumatic provided with a chamber having a connection with the source of exhaust, a pair of ports leading directly from said chamber to said regulating pneumatic, one of which is controlled by a regulating valve, a pouch mounted on said block, a valve stemand an operating head thereon resting on said pouch, said stem projecting through the second of the above mentioned ports into said regulating pneumatic and provided with an expression valve within said pneumatic to control said second port, and means to actuate said pouch to open and close said expression valve.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand on the 13th day of October, 1917.

ERNST D. MOORE. 

